


A Moment of Solace

by XV_ictorious



Series: Commissions [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Jokes, Light-Hearted, Picnic, Tea, a lady knight and her lady dragon doting on each other, just a couple of girlfriends having a nice date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:23:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24888310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XV_ictorious/pseuds/XV_ictorious
Summary: Catherine invites Rhea out for some tea, though she doesn't know what kind the archbishop likes. Seteth offers her a suggestion. When she takes the tea to Rhea, things don't go as planned.
Relationships: Catherine/Rhea (Fire Emblem)
Series: Commissions [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2026066
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	A Moment of Solace

Catherine stared at the counter before her and wondered, _how can there be this many different kinds of tea?_ The countertop of Garreg Mach’s dining hall was cluttered with multitudes of jars containing myriad tea leaves, from special spices only found in Dagda to simple leaves of mint. Not a single spot of the counter could be seen beneath all the jars. Catherine paced back and forth before the collection of teas, not knowing which to choose. _Would Lady Rhea like chamomile?_ she thought. _No that can’t be right. I could have sworn she said she loved the berries from Albinea_. She paused before a jar filled with red and blue berries native to the continent northwest of Fódlan. _But what if I misheard and she really said Almyra?_

Just as she picked her pacing up once more, a fatherly voice came from behind her, which stirred in her a startled feeling. “Now just what it is you’ve made all this mess for, Catherine?”

Without the need to turn around to recognize the source of the admonishing tone, the knight responded. “Seteth, I invited Lady Rhea to have tea with me this evening, but I can’t for the life of me remember which kind is her favorite.” She picked up a jar containing ground ginger. Her partially translucent reflection looked quite anxious with eyes wide and brow furrowed. Not a look she wore regularly; her confidence usually pervaded her appearance. She returned the jar to its previous place of residence on the counter. “You’re close with her. Like, oddly close. You have to know what kind of tea she likes.”

Seteth brought a hand to his beard and stroked his fingers through it. “Let me think for a moment.” He proceeded to peruse the collection of jars Catherine had kindly put on display for him. Examining a few jars one at a time, he came to his conclusion with a triumphant nod of his head. “Ah yes, I distinctly remember her telling me she liked a certain lavender blend made from a species of the flower that grows only in the south.” He handed Catherine a jar filled with purple flowers. “This should do the trick.”

Jar in hand, Catherine extended her other hand out for a shake. “Thank you, Seteth.”

“The only thanks I need would be for you to return all these jars to where they should be.” His actions betrayed his words as he took Catherine’s hand in his own and gave it a single but firm shake. “Oh, and you have my thanks for being there for the archbishop. I haven’t seen her engage in casual activities such as dating in quite some time.” The smile in Seteth gave was especially profound through his bright eyes. “It’s a huge weight off my shoulders to see her be able to relax.”

Though grateful for the words, Catherine didn’t quite understand what he was getting at. She wasn’t dating Rhea for the purpose of making Seteth’s life easier. “Um, thanks?” She released her grasp of Seteth’s hand.

“You’re very welcome. Now, I think it’s best that I get back to my duties and you get back to yours.” He took a swipe of his eyes toward the sea of jars. “Starting with that.”

Catherine sighed. “Yeah, yeah. I don’t need you to badger me about it.”

As though he needed to have the final word, Seteth grunted with a lone “Hmph” before walking out of the dining hall. The hall itself was far less crowded than usual with only a few students huddled together as a group at one of the long tables. They weren’t eating anything, just spending their time together likely to get away from the faculty and any other students that may bother them. Catherine remembered her days at the academy, avoiding assignments, getting scolded for running headfirst into battle. Things weren’t so different from back then, she was just older now.

Shaking her head to clear it of nostalgia, Catherine turned to return all the superfluous jars of tea ingredients to their rightful place in the dark wooden cabinets hanging on the wall. She stacked them in no particular pattern, rushing so as not to keep her date waiting any more that she already had. She only hoped the next poor soul who opened the cabinets didn’t find themselves buried under an avalanche of tea.

Catherine boiled a pot of water and mixed in the lavender petals, allowing the flavor to steep. With little patience, she dug out the first tray she could find and grabbed a couple teacups. Putting all of the necessary materials on the tray, she rushed out of the dining hall and into the courtyard, muttering a brief “Hello,” to the students who elected to ignore the greeting. For her brash nature, Catherine had remarkable balance when carrying the tray outside, avoiding any spills.

As she passed through the archway into the picnic section of the courtyard, Catherine found Rhea sitting alone, her long green hair flowing just like the finest ocean. Her robe drifted to the earth with a divine smoothness, not a single crease to be found. She looked radiant.

“Lady Rhea-” Catherine cleared her throat, remembering her partner’s wishes to just be called by her name. “Ahem, excuse me. Rhea. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. I was having trouble choosing which tea to make.” She placed the tray on the table before taking a seat herself. While pouring the tea out for the both of them, Catherine was greeted with a soothing voice.

“No worries, my Catherine. It is enough for you to have invited me here at all.” Catherine lifted her eyes from the cups to see Rhea’s face. Looking back at her, Rhea smiled. The first genuine smile she’d ever seen from her. She froze, admiring the beauty that sat before her. _Am I the first person she’s ever smiled like that with?_ Before she could bask in the warm feelings emanating from Rhea, the same voice spoke up once more. “Catherine, you are pouring too much.”

When she returned her gaze to the cups before her, Catherine saw that she had overfilled one and the tea was now spilling out onto the tray. “Oh no, I’m sorry Rhea! Here, let me go get some napkins to clean this up.”

A hand reached out in front of her, gesturing for her to stay put. “There is no need. Truly, I do not mind. I’d rather spend time with you in an imperfect manner than have you laboring away just for the sake of making our time together flawless.” The soft smile returned to Rhea’s lips, easing Catherine back into her seat and she felt calm. The beating of her heart slowed to a gentle trot.

The setting sun warmed her face as she sat silently before Rhea. The two shared a moment of staring into each other’s eyes. She couldn’t tell what Rhea was thinking, though she knew she was appreciative of this moment.

Rhea was the first to break the silence. “It has been too long since I was able to be this close with another. I greatly cherish the time we spend together, Catherine.” When the words reached her ears, Catherine’s cheeks grew even hotter than what the sun provided.

“Oh, ah. Thank you, Rhea. I love spending time with you like this, too.” She fidgeted in her seat before reaching for a teacup. “Here, you should have a drink. I didn’t know what kind you would like, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.”

With a quick chuckle, Rhea responded, “I appreciate it.” She brought the cup to her lips and sipped the fragrant liquid. Catherine grew anxious when she saw Rhea’s eyebrows jerk at the taste of the tea. “Mm. Lavender. I can’t say it would be my first choice, but I appreciate it regardless.” Rhea’s lips curled into another smile, though this one wasn’t as natural as before.

“Oh no, I’m sorry Rhea. I should have asked you what tea you liked before making it.” Catherine lowered her head, placing her hands on the table. _How could I screw up something as easy as tea? Ugh, this is a disaster!_ “Seteth said you would like lavender, so that’s what I made. Did he lie?”

Another short fit of laughter escaped Rhea’s mouth. “Oh, Catherine. Don’t trouble yourself over something as trivial as tea. And yes, I would say Seteth lied to you. He and I have been playing such tricks on each other for quite some time.” Catherine stared back at her, dumbfounded. “What? Can an archbishop and her trusted ally not have fun every now and again?”

Catherine stared blankly before letting out a deep sigh. “I-I should have seen this coming. He was acting a bit too friendly earlier.”

“Yes, I suppose that he would get a kick out of teasing you about our relationship. And I am by no means upset. In fact, I am grateful for just being able to spend any time with you at all, embracing these moments of blunder. My duties keep me occupied and at times I feel as though I’m not even a person.” Catherine felt a soft hand grasp her own. “But with you? I feel like I can be my true self. I have not been able to let my guard down like this in…” Rhea raised her eyes to stare at the roof above them, thinking. “I can’t even remember how long. And for that, you have my gratitude, Catherine.”

The knight lifted her head to look Rhea in the eyes once more. Looking back at her were a pair of glimmering green eyes that peered straight through the walls Catherine had built. She felt her very being exposed to the woman she loved. And for the first time she didn’t resist that feeling. She let herself be vulnerable. She let the love of her life tear down her defenses and pull her out into the open. “R-Rhea, I...”

The grip of Rhea’s hand around Catherine’s tightened ever so slightly and a thumb rubbed up and down the back. “There is no need for words. I can feel what you’re thinking.” The soft, bright smile from before returned. “Now what say we retire to my quarters and relax for the rest of the night, hmm?”

Upon hearing these words, Catherine froze in shock. Her eyes grew wide and Rhea’s smile shifted into a smirk. _Wait, is she suggesting…?_ “Rhea…”

“No words, Catherine.” Rhea stood up, guiding Catherine along with her. “Now, follow me.” Catherine’s heart raced as she prepared herself for what the rest of her night with Rhea would entail, led by the hand by the one she loved above all else.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This was commissioned by @churchroute on twitter! Catherine and Rhea are a couple of my faves and I love them together a whole bunch so it was a real treat to get to work on this. If you liked this and want to commission me as well, feel free to fill out this form: [Commissions.](https://forms.gle/ay78UWb7D9xGcqgW8)


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